


The Ruby Throne

by Jxckalito



Series: A Realm Divided [2]
Category: Paladins: Champions Of The Realm (Video Game)
Genre: and Lazaros is back too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-12 16:27:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29013561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jxckalito/pseuds/Jxckalito
Summary: Two years have passed since the end of the Crystal War. With the now-defamed Karne locked up within the dungeons of the Empire for good, most would assume that was the last they would hear of him. Karne's days of glory have long since passed, but he sowed a seed of legacy over twenty years ago to ensure his work would carry on. The elusive Corvus, son of Karne, now stalks the Realm as he picks up the unfinished work of his father, looking to the Thousand Hands for support. The Thousand Hands however, don't plan to be of use to Corvus as their old leader Zhin looks beyond his guild for power, and seeks out the help of some old friends to reclaim his birthright.
Series: A Realm Divided [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1295567
Kudos: 3





	The Ruby Throne

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, I'm back! Almost 2 whole years after the end of A Realm Divided, which took over a year to write. I must admit, shortly after I finished writing A Realm Divided, I fell out of love with the game. I just didn't appreciate the direction it was going, and the release of Io really upset me because of her design choice. 
> 
> I decided to give the game another chance with my old friend, because we first met playing Paladins and it's almost been 5 years since we met. Turns out, I do still love the game. Not so much the lore because I don't really understand it anymore with the addition of so many new factions like the whole Io vs Vora thing.
> 
> This is book 2 of A Realm Divided and continues the story from the end of book 1. In case you need a recap, the Crystal War is over and Karne is now in jail along with Ash and Lian. This book also follows the fanmade theory that Zhin is the older brother of Lian and the rightful heir to the throne of House Aico, but was removed for some reason. This isn't canon, but it's a theory that I like a lot.
> 
> This book also goes against some canon trivia/lore about Corvus. Just keep that in mind, and enjoy!

The Empire was alive with people going about their day underneath the burning sun that threatened to roast just about everyone alive, should they be stupid and careless enough to stand out in the open for too long. The market square was chaotic as always, huge waves of people trying to push through to get from stall to stall, as hawkers and customers alike shouted their prices and negotiations over each other. Men hauling giant sacks of wares and women trying to get by with baskets full of fresh produce and bread, stopping every few steps to look at something else. With some children running along the beaten cobblestone paths and getting between people's legs, the protests from adults for the kids to get out and play somewhere else added to the noise and movement.

All this was normal for the Empire's marketplace, and it happened every single day. The crowds and general busyness of everyone made it easy for someone to slip by, unnoticed. In a crowd full of shouting people, oddities, and excited screams from children trying to play chase, even the strangest of figures could get through without so much as a second glance. 

The end of the marketplace came with less noise as the cobble path led outwards, branching off into a fork with a simple sandstone fountain dividing the path. One path led around the outside of the market, and the other, to the palace. The strange figure kept his head down and followed the left path towards the palace, only looking up every so often to check out the view of the glorious royal home that stood tall against the sun.

Instead of heading up the palace steps where he would certainly be stopped by the guards and asked to state his business, he went around, looking for a window he had staked out already. A few weeks of observation of the palace came in handy, as he now knew exactly where he wanted to go that had the smallest chances of him being spotted. Getting caught was the last thing the man wanted, for should anyone realise who he was, things would go to hell faster than anything.

Now, the palace had quite a clever design. The lowest windows on the side of the intricate compound were still pretty high up, so commoners couldn't easily spy into the palace's interior and see what was going on. After all, there was a good reason why any royal compound didn't let just about anyone come and go as they saw fit. The side of the wall was also too difficult to climb up, despite the decorative trims and designs. Everything was spaced out, just a little too far out of reach. A clever design, and clearly thought through, but whoever had designed the palace hadn't quite considered other means of getting into places.

The man cast a cursory glance around to make sure no one was observing him too closely. With no guards around this side of the palace walls and any commoner too focused on getting about their daily tasks, he was clear to make a move. He reached down to his belt and removed a serrated dagger from its sheath, quickly looking over the purple blade that crackled with energy.

Wanting to keep the dagger away as quickly as possible to avoid it getting any unwanted attention, the man made his move quickly. He flicked the dagger as discreetly as he could, sending a little ball of swirling, dark mist flying through the air. It swept in through the window, disappearing from sight, and with a little willpower, the man found himself inside the palace, without a single soul realising that he had disappeared from the outside. Perfect.

With his mental map in mind, he stalked along the palace grounds, keeping as quiet as possible as he navigated the place in search of the right door that led underground. The palace was full of wonders that a common thief would want to get their hands on, like the armoury, or even the throne room if one was daring. There was little of interest to anyone below the palace, but for him, his treasure lay there in darkness. He could have easily gone to steal something of value as a prize and shove it into the face of a broken man, but he had all the prizes and treasures he could ever want back home. His very presence would be a kick to the teeth for the one he sought out.

There were a few doors that led underground, but the main ones were heavily guarded, as no one except the Queen herself, or her special forces had any reason to go down there. A few hidden doors however, had no guards as no one was expected to know about them except those who did get access into the underground. The dark stranger was well aware of these doors, having followed people around until he knew where they were over his week of scouting out the place. 

One such door, and the easiest one to access, was hidden within the royal dining hall. There were others closer to him, such as the one in the kitchen or in the courtyard, but the number of people in those places made it hard for him to get through. A quiet and secluded one with no one near it was much easier to get into without being seen, even if it meant a bigger risk trying to get near the door to begin with. 

With guards patrolling the entire palace grounds, it was important to time each movement properly so he could get by without being seen. An inexperienced infiltrator would have waited too long for the coast to turn clear, or moved too hastily and been spotted by a guard. Patience was key in a situation like this, and the man had no problem waiting for the time to be right to move from cover to cover, remaining unseen the entire time. Granted, it took much longer to get to the dining hall than it should have, but a few extra minutes was worth giving up for some assured safety from watchful eyes.

He waited outside the dining hall door, off to the side where he had a view of the door should it open. He waited patiently, idly thumbing the hilt of his dagger that lay in its sheath, simply watching the door until it finally opened. 

A maid came out of the dining hall, carefully balancing a pile of linen in her hands while bumping open the door with her hips. As she stepped out, she tried to close the heavy door with her foot, though the door was only pushed a little, slowly swinging shut on its own. She shrugged before walking off down the hall, right past the unknown figure hiding in the shadows without so much as a pause. There was a second to act before the door closed and he had to wait for someone else to come by again, and he managed to get another one of those dark orbs through the door right as it shut. A second later, he disappeared from the shadows and was inside the dining hall.

It was clear no expense had been spared in making the dining hall as lavish as possible. A large table spanned the length of the hall, covered in a pristine, white linen with purple and gold trimmings. Perfectly-white plates had been laid out at each seat, along with a golden chalice. No food had been laid out yet, which was a good sign, as it meant that either a meal had been finished recently, or the next one wouldn't be ready for some time yet. 

He remained focused on the task at hand, ignoring the lavish table and starting to observe the walls carefully, running a hand along the trims to feel for the slightest of ridges that would indicate a hidden door. He had to go over a few spots several times to make sure he wasn't imagining things, and finally found it right up against the fireplace at the end of the hall. He felt around for the other side of the hidden door, pushing on it. The piece sunk into the wall and the dark figure was able to push it aside, having to duck his head to get under the tiny door before moving the pieces back into place. From the outside, the door closed and looked like it hadn't ever been there at all.

Right behind the hidden door was a spiraling staircase, dimly lit with a torch every few steps. He started his descent, still remaining quiet in case there was an unexpected guest down in the dungeons too. The only sound was the faintest of hollow howls, echoing from the chambers below. It was haunting in a way, telling of the suffering that had occurred amidst the dark chambers from years ago.

The bottom of the staircase branched out into a dark hallway, still dimly lit by a couple of torches spaced out sparingly. He followed along, using the glow of his dagger to offer a little extra light amidst the darkness.

The suffocating darkness of narrow halls and tiny staircases finally opened up into something bigger, a large arena-like room of dust and cracking walls. It was a miserable place to be, with nothing but cold stone floors and featureless, circular walls, and probably a thousand insects hiding in those crevices and cracks. The room only had one other main entrance that the guards actually knew about, with two of them stationed there, their backs facing the room. And right in the middle of it all, kneeling and bound in chains, was a raggedy old man who could do nothing but kneel in silence until death finally caught up to him.

Something had to be done about the guards, for the man would never get a word in should they still be there. He drew a machine pistol, considering the noise it would make by firing it. For a second, he wondered why he hadn't gotten someone to build a suppressor that would fit on it, but hindsight was of no use to him here. The sound of a gun firing would surely echo and alert more guards, inviting more trouble than the whole thing was worth. He kept the machine pistol away and pulled out his dagger, keeping his footsteps light as he got behind the guards.

The only sound they ever got to make were gasps of surprise, before the room fell silent again. The bodies were let down easily and shoved into a corner, before he finally got what he came here for. Eyeing the pathetic, broken figure in the middle of the room, he stalked closer, hardly recognising who he saw.

"Father."

There was no response from the imprisoned man, except that he slowly dragged his head up to look upon the person who had called for him. Karne was old and sunken, a far cry from his former glory. Plenty of new scars were peppered across his body, and his tired eyes only begged for merciful death to take him. His hair had turned almost entirely grey, except for a few strands of stubborn black. After a good, long look upon his son, Karne found the strength to speak after almost two whole years of nothing but silence.

"Corvus... come here."

Corvus sighed and approached his father, kneeling before him. While his impression of his once-invincible father had since faded, and their ideals were no longer on the same path, he still held some respect for the man who raised him. After all, Corvus would not have had the strength to pick up the pieces left behind by Karne without the lessons instilled into him over years of watching the Magistrate work.

As Karne eyed his son, he tried to comprehend his reason for showing up out of nowhere. For a second, he wished the boy's mother was still around, for ever since the day Karne had been damned to prison by those bastard Paladins, the boy had been robbed of his last family member and become all alone in the span of a single day. Yet, Corvus seemed to have found strength in those lonely times, and no longer seemed like a child in his father's eyes. "Why are you here?" Karne muttered, those words alone taking up plenty of effort to be voiced out.

"I came to say goodbye," Corvus replied, "you know you failed in your mission, father. But I haven't. I'm picking up where you left off, but in my vision this time. I won't make the same mistakes you did. You turned the Realm into your playground. You didn't really want peace, you just preached that so the people would listen," He got to his feet, only receiving a hollow stare in response. After one last look, Corvus turned to leave. "Forgive me, father."

Those were his last words before he left, and the room went silent once more, leaving Karne alone with his thoughts again. All he could do now was wait for the next guards to realise someone had been down in the dungeons, when the bodies were found. And as for Corvus, wherever he was going, whatever he was doing, Karne only wished that the boy wouldn't end up the same way.

When Corvus got back to the surface and crept out of the palace through the same way he had come in from, he went to collect his horse, a black-and-grey stallion that had been waiting by the woods just outside the city limits. With a clear plan in mind, he mounted up and took off, headed back towards home.


End file.
